1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for maintaining pet waste in an encapsulated environment whereby waste may be removed and litter may be replaced in a substantially sealed, dust-free, and clean manner. More in particular, the present invention relates generally to a self-cleaning litter box/pet waste encapsulation device, and, more particularly, to a fully-enclosed, self-cleaning litter box/pet waste encapsulation device, and even more specifically to a fully-enclosed, self-cleaning, self-bagging litter box/pet waste encapsulation device, and even more particularly to a fully-enclosed, self-cleaning, self-bagging litter box pet waste encapsulation device having a continuous bagging dispenser.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The art has seen the development of a great variety of pet and/or cat litter waste management systems developed over the years ranging from basic trays and pans to highly automated and expensive mechanical systems that enable a fully hands-free experience in managing a pet's waste. In general, however, as the scale of automation increases, so do the manufacturing costs and the eventual costs to the consumer/pet owner and are thus not affordable options for most. In addition, highly automated, electromechanical systems are at greater risk of malfunctioning given the increased number of working parts and electronics. So far as is known to the present inventor, there has not yet been the development of a pet and/or cat litter waste management system that offers an affordable system that offers a fully-encapsulated environment which allows pet waste to be removed and litter to be replaced in a substantially sealed, dust-free, and clean manner.
The simplest pet waste management systems available essentially constitute nothing more than shallow pans or containers having sides that are tall enough to store sufficient litter but not so tall as to prevent a pet from stepping into the box. Such systems require the manual removal of waste, typically by using a slotted scoop or similar device. Some litter boxes may include a cover and an opening for an animal, e.g., a cat, to access the litter area for aesthetic purposes, and some litter boxes may include separate sifting or electromechanical automatic raking devices.
There are a number of problems with existing pet waste management systems, no matter their degree of simplicity or complexity, or whether or not they include electromechanical components or other elements intended to ease in the maintenance of the litter and waste. Such problems are generally associated with the collection and disposal of the solid and wet waste materials, the cleaning and/or changing of the litter material itself, and the concomitant odors, dust, spillage, and tracking of litter outside the system by the animal into other areas of the home, all of which expose pet owners and families to waste contaminants, including hazardous bacteria, posing various health threats to an animal's owner and/or family, and especially to pregnant women and their unborn children. Beyond these health risks, litter boxes are generally unpleasant and often are difficult to clean and dispose of the waste, particularly by those who are elderly or are otherwise physically challenged to some degree. Such boxes, being completely uncovered, also emit unpleasant odors, dust, and are unsightly to look at. Moreover, whenever spent litter is changed and replaced with fresh litter, plumes of unsanitary dust are emitted, which may engulf a user and become inhaled. Also, the litter tends to spill or track out of the box when the pet uses and exits the box and/or during times when the user scoops and/or empties the box. The continuous nature of having to maintain such litter boxes only serves to compound and/or magnify the aforementioned health, odor, dust, and spillage problems associated with these systems.
Covered litter boxes avoid the unsightliness of the uncovered box, and also ameliorate at least some problems, including reducing odor and spillage. However, they are still difficult and unpleasant to clean and disposing of the waste remains cumbersome. Covered litter boxes also do not prevent tracking. They have the further problem of requiring the cover to be removed prior to cleaning, which only increases the opportunities to unintentionally come into contact with waste.
Sifting litter boxes have a sifting screen that fits inside a traditional litter box and allows the user to lift the sifting screen out of the box to remove the solid waste while leaving the unused litter behind. Automated raking litter boxes use an automated or semi-automated raking device to sift/rake the waste from the litter. The sifting and raking litter boxes both address the problem of cleaning, but often create even more dust and odor. Disposing of the sifted/raked waste into a receptacle often creates additional spillage. These devices don't address the typical spillage or tracking problems either. Furthermore, the motorized raking systems are often very expensive, tend to clog up, and breakdown.
Some self-cleaning litter boxes utilize a rotating drum or sphere to remove waste from the litter. These devices generally consist of a rotating drum or sphere that receives the litter and includes a sifting mechanism. When the device is rotated, the litter is sifted through the sifting mechanism, separating the waste from the clean litter. This method is effective at separating the waste, although there are inherent problems with the drum and sphere devices. The circular nature of these shapes create shallow areas where clumping litter sticks to the inside of the device causing unsanitary conditions and requiring manual removal. Furthermore, the rotation and sifting creates excessive dust. The user is exposed to the odor, dust, and bacteria through open apertures and when loading litter into the device, and emptying litter out of the device. In addition, many of these types of devices include electromechanical components, which may be prone to malfunction and impart higher costs.
An example of a rotating drum litter box is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,835, which issued to Brokaski on Mar. 21, 2006 for a “Cat litter device.” This device includes a filter fixed within the rotating drum for sifting waste from the litter and an exterior waste tube connected to the filter for receiving the sifted waste and transferring it to a collection bag. However, this system fails to address and solve the problems of the prior art systems and does not arrive at the solution of the present invention. In particular, spent litter must be emptied from the system by pouring it through the cat opening, which, like other prior art systems, still causes the formation of plumes of contaminated litter and undesirable contact with waste materials and odors.
Another example is described in U.S. Pat. App. No. 2009107408 A1 for “Apparatus and method to remove animal waste from litter,” which was filed on Dec. 30, 2008 by Waters and which provides an apparatus including a rotating drum and helical rake for sifting the waste from the litter. Other examples of rotating drum litter devices having sifting elements are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,752,465 and 7,647,889. These systems also fail to address and solve the problems of the prior art devices and do not arrive at the solution of the present invention, in particular, because none of the systems are encapsulated such that dust, odor, and waste contact are mitigated or avoided.
More in particular, the prior art devices include openings or apertures of various dimensions that allow the odor, dust, litter, and bacteria to escape. Further, none of the prior art include a self-contained, continuous bagging dispenser for the clean, easy, and isolated removal and disposal of waste. The prior art systems also do not include a means for attaching a container or otherwise source of litter directly to the device to facilitate adding new litter or removing old litter from the device while maintaining a sealed environment. None of the prior art includes a semi-rigid disposable liner to eliminate the unsanitary need to periodically wash the interior of the litter box. The prior art also fails to include an anti-spillage/anti-tracking device to quickly and easily return spilled/tracked litter back into the litterbox. Furthermore, the rotating drum devices of the prior art systems rotate about the axis coaxial with the entrance and exit to the device; whereas the device of the present invention rotates about the axis perpendicular to this coaxial axis. The combination of all of these features together in single system having no electromechanical components and which includes a sealed environment for managing litter and removing waste has not previously been proposed in the prior art.
Given the high prevalence of pet ownership in the U.S. and around the world, the present world economic considerations, and the desirability of an easy-to-use, clean, sealed, and hands-free affordable pet waste management system, it is evident that there is a need for a self-cleaning litter box/pet waste encapsulation device that can maintain a sealed environment during pet use, when idle, when removing waste and changing litter, and through all the various actions associated with owning and maintaining a litter box and which does not require electromechanical components which are susceptible to malfunction.
As will be appreciated, none of these prior patents even address the problem faced by applicant let alone offer the solution proposed herein.